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| Marco Zanette |
To understand how big a turnaround Centre Dufferin DHS has experienced in their basketball program over recent years, you only have to go back about 5 seasons.
During an early preseason junior tournament hosted by Our Lady of Lourdes, the 2007-08 version of the Royals were defeated soundly by (to be fair) bigger schools from Guelph and Kitchener.
By "soundly", I'm talking 50-60 point margins.
Enter twins Carlo and Marco Zanette, as well as a strong supporting cast of talent.
The 2008-09 season saw marked improvement at the junior level, with the Royals going 7-1 in league play.
The next year (2009-10), they were untouchable and were arguably the best team in any level of CWOSSA. For comparison purposes, they comfortably defeated eventual AAAA champ Kitchener Resurrection Catholic by 15 and 20 points in two exhibition meetings.
At AAA CWOSSA, the Royals took the first championship in school history, beating all three of their opponents by double-digits over that weekend.
The transition to the senior level, though, was a bit bumpy at first.
The Royals didn't qualify for CWOSSA "AAA" in grade 11 (having to play a talented Ryan Higgins and Guelph St. James in their qualifier). Last year, they were the #1 seed at "AAA" senior but were upset by Galt Collegiate in a CWOSSA semifinal.
This year, they've been rewarded with their first-ever Heinbuch appearance in school history. They played last weekend at the CWDHS Invitational, winning the championship 67-54 over their new "AA" rival Bishop Mac (the Royals are now AA this year).
Of course, not everything has been perfect for members of the CDDHS squad.
The Zanette's mother, Marilyn, passed away in August of this year after a courageous battle with breast cancer. You may have noticed Marco wearing his trademark pink shoes last season in honour of his mother's battle.
"I purchased the pink shoes at the start of last season," said Marco. "Before my mother was diagnosed with the second cancer that she couldn't beat she had overcome breast cancer 4 years prior. The second diagnosis was a hard blow to myself, my family, and most of all my mother."
"Yet," he noted, "she never ceased being the loving, kind and caring person she had always been. The cancer stopped her from doing a lot of things, but she would never allow it to stop her from being a mother. Her bravery and strength in the face of adversity made me proud to be her son. In buying the pink shoes I wanted to honour my mom's optimism and love to those in her life. She would show compassion to anyone who needed it, not just the people important to her."
"If someone sees the bright pink shoes and their day is a little better for it, I know my mom would be happy that I made them happy," he added.
So, Marco Zanette and his pink shoes will be back on the court tomorrow evening (7:45pm at Huron Heights in Kitchener) against the CWOSSA #1 ranked WCI Vikings. This year's version of the Royals is a veteran-laden crew with five returning starters from last year's team, including Marco (6'4"), twin brother Carlo (6'3"), Matt Pflance (5'10"), Doug Costanzo (6'3"), and Daniel Craig (6'0").
"Our team has an excellent coaching staff in our Head Coach Patrick Kings and Assistant Coach Stanley Karabela, and we have a great group of guys that are committed to excellence," said Marco.
This team is a pleasure to watch --- when you do so, take good note of their fundamentals. I remember a junior coach comparing them to a "men's league team" a couple years ago, which was meant as an extreme compliment based upon the way they boxed out, used their body to seal and post-up, and basically "out physicaled" their opponents.
As a result of being on the periphery of CWOSSA, the Zanettes have been under-recruited to this point, but I think college and university coaches need to take a serious look at them this season.
"I'm looking to play basketball at the next level, for sure," said Marco. "I'm hoping to play on the team wherever I decide to attend university. I've heard from a couple schools so far," he said.
When I asked him about playing on the periphery of CWOSSA, and if he felt they were "respected" by other teams in CWOSSA, Marco said that it really doesn't enter into the equation.
"We go out and compete every single time we hit the floor," he said, "respect us or not, we're going to do everything we can to give you one heck of a game."
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Heinbuch Preview: CWOSSA Teams
There's 7 CWOSSA teams in the 16-team Heinbuch field this year, looking to capture CWOSSA's first title since 1999 (Brantford Assumption).
Huron Heights, WCI, St. Mary's, Cameron Heights and Galt are looking to become the first-ever WCSSAA or D8 school to raise the banner --- but it won't be easy.
I chatted with Barry Hayes at HoopStarsCanada.com, and he is projecting an Oakwood - Cardinal Newman final, if Newman PG David McCulloch is back at full strength.
This isn't the greatest news for the two hosts, St. Mary's and Huron Heights, who draw those two teams in the first round. That being said, some crazy things have happened during those afternoon games in front of the home crowds (remember SMHS' near massive upset over Henry Carr a couple years' back?), so it'll be interesting to see if that energy can lead one of them to a first-round upset.
Here's my projections (first two games) for our 7 CWOSSA clubs:
Cameron Heights Golden Gaels (Kitchener / WCSSAA)
Projection: Win, Loss (Silver Division)
The Gaels have a lot of game experience already to this point in the season, and I see them as strong favourites against North Park in their opener. Expect a competitive game against Mother Teresa in their second game, though I do project a silver division appearance for the Gaels.
Centre Dufferin Royals (Shelburne / D4)
Projection: Loss, Win (Bronze Division)
After a competitive loss to WCI in their opener, I'll tag the Royals to get "on the board" in this tournament against Oakville Loyola in their second game (assuming Westmount beats them in the first round).
Galt Collegiate Ghosts (Cambridge / WCSSAA)
Projection: Loss, Win (Bronze Division)
Like Huron Heights and St. Mary's, the Ghosts also draw a talented Mother Teresa (Scarborough) team in their opener. I think the athleticism of the Titans will be too much in their opener, but I like them to take out Brantford North Park in the second round to advance to the bronze division.
Huron Heights Huskies (Kitchener / WCSSAA)
Projection: Loss, Win (Bronze Division)
Juwan Miller and the Huskies will have home-court advantage but I don't think it'll be enough to get past tournament favourites Oakwood in the first round. The Barons are a "top 4-6" team in the province depending on the source. Look for the Huskies to grab a competitive win in their second game on Friday evening.
North Park Trojans (Brantford / BCSSAA)
Projection: Loss, Loss (Consolation Division)
The Trojans came third at the Brant County tip-off this weekend, dropping a game to Assumption in the semifinals. I think it'll take some time for this roster to gel, but they can still be dangerous if they get hot from behind the arc.
St. Mary's Eagles (Kitchener / D8)
Projection: Loss, Loss (Consolation Division)
I think the Eagles are better than some of the other CWOSSA teams in this tournament, but they do have a very tough draw starting with Cardinal Newman. A second round game against either JC Richardson or St. Thomas More won't be much easier, but I wouldn't be surprised to see at least one win in their first two on their home court.
Waterloo Vikings (Waterloo / WCSSAA)
Projection: Win, Win (Gold Division)
CWOSSA bias on my part, of course, but I have to go with one team of advancing through the second round, right? The only caveat is that the Vikes' senior volleyball squad just finished up last weekend with a silver medal at OFSAA --- so they haven't had as much game experience as some of the other squads. That being said, they return all 5 starters from last year so they should be fairly comfortable with each other already.
